Chancellor receives honorary doctorate from Gachon University in Korea

Gachon University President Lee Gil-ya conferred the title of Honorary Doctor of Science on Virginia S. Hinshaw during the UH Mānoa Chancellor’s recent visit to South Korea. The conferral recommendation for Hinshaw’s doctorate was made by the Graduate Committee at Gachon University Graduate School and personally presented by Lee during a formal ceremony.

“I was tremendously moved by this honor, especially since the degree was presented by President Lee, who is an esteemed physician, scientist, entrepreneur and humanitarian,” said Hinshaw. “She is also the driving force of the just-opened Lee Gil-ya Cancer and Diabetes Center, which I can personally appreciate as a cancer survivor and thriver and as a member of a family with 100% having Type 2 diabetes. Their Neuroscience Center is also developing highly sophisticated imaging equipment.”

On the Gachon campus, Hinshaw gave a special lecture at the Music Hall on the topic of “Leadership in a Changing World.” She also visited the home of Gachon University’s President, where Lee hosted children from the school she attended to encourage them to achieve their dreams. Later, Hinshaw met with Mayor Song Young-gil of Incheon, a sister city of Honolulu—a visit that was covered by a number of Korean journalists.

In addition, the Chancellor took a comprehensive tour of Gil Hospital that included having a physical examination in the Health Promotion Program to experience the medical care. “The people, facility, equipment and process were all top-notch—truly a state-of-the-art hospital. I was very impressed,” said Hinshaw.

Lee is known as a pioneer in Korean medicine, becoming a physician in 1957, when female doctors were rare. She later founded the Gachon Gil Medical Foundation, which went on to establish Gachon University of Medicine in 1998. This year she was recognized by Newsweek magazine as a “woman who shakes the world.”

Chancellor Hinshaw first met President Lee two years ago during the latter leader’s visit to the UH Mānoa Center for Korean Studies and the two quickly built a strong, respectful professional relationship and friendship. “Both of us are senior women trained in the medical sciences and committed to higher education, so we shared the same passions,” said Hinshaw.

In February 2012, Gachon University’s campus in Honolulu opened a language institute to provide its students with the opportunity to learn English and experience cultural exchanges. According to a February 3, 2012 article in The Korea Times, “The Gachon Global Center, just a five-minute walk from Waikīkī Beach, is tasked to help students adjust at local schools, including the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, under student exchange programs. It plans to send up to 500 students every year.”